The Pink Pearl
by Clayton Overstreet
Summary: Can the girl retrieve the princess's pink pearl from the bearded oyster?


I actually do own these stories and profit from them. They are part of my new book "Lesbian Mythology, Legends, and Folktales" now available from Amazon under then name C.D. Overstreet. While most of the stories in the book are either original mythology or slightly altered versions of the originals (kings turned to queens, that sort of thing) these two are all mine and are presented here to encourage you to buy the book. Though be warned the stories in the book are more adult oriented than the previous volume "Lesbian Fairytales" which is why I am only posting these two here.

On a side note, if nothing else please Review the stories and any others of mine you read so I know what parts you like and can do better next time.

An Amazing Story

Once upon a time a beautiful princess fell in love with a queen from the next kingdom and the queen fell in love with her. They courted for a time, giving one another gifts, writing love letters, singing songs, and begging one another's favor. They would walk through town or the castle holding hands or go horseback riding and would even share a kiss every now and then whenever the mood struck them, clearly deeply in love with one another. Then they finally got married and adopted many beautiful children.

And nobody in the kingdom had a problem with any of this, so everybody lived happily ever after.

The EndThe Pink Pearl

Long ago on a far away island lived a great tribe. Among them was born a little girl who was very curious and who always felt she was different than the other girls of the village. Rather than trying to look beautiful like the other girls who spent their time combing their hair and trying to look beautiful so they could find husbands she ignored the young men of the island and often went exploring instead. One day when she was becoming a young woman the girl found a path in the woods that led to a clearing that contained a small hut. Inside lived two old women who lived alone with each other and made their living by diving for pearls. Despite living away from the other people on the island they welcomed the girl warmly and invited her to stay with them. She agreed even though her parents did not like it and begged her to stay away. The women were both rich and many thought they might be witches with strange powers, so her father could not quite find the courage to keep his strange daughter from going.

The old women taught the girl all they knew about diving for pearls. How to open the shells and coax out the pearl without killing them. Which mollusks were good to eat and which were poisonous and how to use them in other ways. There were other things they taught her too, but we will skip over those for the sake of those with delicate sensibilities. Eventually the two women died, leaving her alone in the hut where she practiced what they taught her. Soon there was not a shell fish that she could not open and a pearl she could not claim, except one.

You see some years before the chief of the tribe had fathered a young girl, his only child. It was clear that with no son he would have to find some way to find a worthy successor to be chief, but he could not think of a way to find someone who would do. That was when a goddess appeared before him and handed him a small oyster. "Take this oyster to the edge of the island and throw it into the sea. Watch where it lands and mark that spot. Inside will grow a beautiful pink pearl. When your daughter comes of age announce that the one who can collect that pearl will have her as a bride and become the new chief. Until then, guard it well."

The chief obeyed, walking to the edge of the island and throwing the oyster into the clear waters. He watched closely as it was caught by the tides and battered about until it came to rest in a prong-shaped cleft in a rock. He marked the spot and from that day forward left a guard there, letting it be known to one and all that anyone who attempted to claim the princess's pearl before she was of age would be put to death.

As the princess grew, becoming more beautiful and desirable by the day, so did the oyster. While forbidden to touch it, many came to see it and were amazed as with every year it grew bigger and bigger. Trapped in the rocky cleft they could see it open its shell at times to the ocean currents that washed over it and inside among the pink flesh, gleamed a perfect round pearl of a perfect pink hue. Growing around the shell like a bird's nest was a patch of soft sea grass that waved gently in the water, lending it the name of The Great Bearded Oyster which contained the Princess's Pearl.

In the meantime the girl often went to the village and spoke with other girls, offering to show them how to pearl dive like she had been taught, but was often refused by those who were nervous about her. Only a few ever took her up on her offer. The men of the island were jealous of her skill with shellfish and pearls and the girls parents warned them away from her, for fear that she would take them away to her hut. So most days she would only trade her pearls for goods and return home, except for one side trip she took on every journey. The girl would come to the edge of the shore and stare longingly at the pearl, her heart aching with desire for it. When she went diving for other pearls she would imagine they were the Princess's Pearl, though she knew that it was unlikely she would ever be able to have it.

Finally the day came when the princess reached the peak of her beauty and the chief announced that the time had come for someone to claim her hand in marriage. The princess was alright with this for she had found that she was uninterested in any man she had ever met and had resigned herself to whoever could succeed in the task. But she warned them, "You must be gentle, for I have watched my little oyster grow with me and would not see it harmed. Any who damage it while trying to retrieve the pearl shall be killed."

Many men came and attempted to claim the Princess's Pearl, but the Bearded Oyster did not relinquish its prize so easily. For a start the place it rested was one of strong tides. The waters rushed back and forth over the oyster in caressing waves, but anyone trying to swim from most ways would be dashed upon the rocks or dragged down into the depths of the sea. There was a small man with a canoe who almost made it, but in the end he failed too and his canoe ended up swamped.

There were only two ways in to the place it rested. One was from between standing stones known as the Ten Tiny Boars and between a channel that led straight to the cleft and the oyster. It was a short swim and considered the safer way to go. The other and more dangerous way was to go from the mouth of a nearby river, following a strong current over two large round stones that jutted out of the water, a large plane of sand and to the cleft where the oyster lay.

Both ways had their dangers and there were even three days a month when the tides changed so that none could get near it without shedding their blood and maybe being killed. Few even dared try on those days. Likewise the oyster presented its own dangers. Aside from being at the bottom of a small sheer cliff leading to the water with jagged rocks it was in the path of strong currents. The oyster was very sensitive and if touched in but the gentlest of ways would close with enough force to take off fingers. The rock around it was smooth, a bit slimy, and hard to grip. Not to mention that it was so deep that only a few of the most experienced divers could hold their breath long enough to attempt even the most fumbling of moves before they had to give up and come out for air.

Men tried to woo her in other ways, but the princess was vain and refused any pleas from anyone who suggested other ways they might win her heart. She wanted only the best. Her father also refused, for fear of angering the goddess. Which meant that one after another the men of the island dove down and tried to claim the pearl. Clever men tried to lever it open with their spears, only the find the shafts crushed in the oyster's shell. Strong men with bulging muscles tried to lever the shell open with their hands, but even when they did manage to do so, they found that they could not reach the pearl without letting go.

After a year it soon became obvious that no man in the village could get the pearl and so the word was sent to other island. But while many men came to try, none had any better luck at claiming the Princess's Pearl. Soon the wave of suitors slowed and finally stopped all together. For more than a year nobody came forward to try to claim the place as chief. Meanwhile the chief they did have was getting old and sick.

Finally the girl came forward and said, "I think I can retrieve the pearl."

"But according to the goddess, that would mean that you would have to marry my daughter," the chief said.

The girl looked at the beautiful princess and said, "If I succeed in getting into the oyster, then I am worthy am I not?"

The chief looked at his daughter. "What say you my child?"

"No man has been able to do a thing to bring forth my pearl, though they have tried mightily. As things stand it looks as if I am destined to die an old maid anyway. If she can bring it forth from its hiding place then I am willing. Besides everyone knows that a pearl forms when an oyster is irritated and itchy and needs soothing. I would hate to think of the poor thing forever in need of that kind of attention and if only a woman can succeed in brining it forth from its shell then so be it."

The king nodded. "Very well, you may try. But I know that they say you are a witch and I will not have my daughter's hand won by black magic."

"I swear, the rumors… well _those_ rumors… about me are false," the girl said. "I know no magic, only the secrets of pearls and shellfish."

The chief was unconvinced and wanted to watch to make sure. The rest of the village was out gathering food. Only the girl who lived alone and bought her supplies with pearls and the princess were left with the elderly king. "Father you stay in bed and rest. I will go watch to see if she succeeds."

He agreed. "Very well. But watch carefully daughter."

So the two of them walked together to the shore where the Princess's pearl rested. They stood looking down at the oyster for a while, the air filled with the warm wet spray of waves against the rocks. The girl took her time. She had been thinking of how to do this for a long time and said so. The princess smiled, flattered. "I find that I admire your dedication."

"I have wanted nothing so much in my entire life."

Finally the girl headed down the path to where the river's mouth met the sea. The area where the Bearded Oyster rested had been off limits to her for her entire life and the currents were so strong that even the old women had not swum there much in their prime. They, like most of them men, had preferred the parts of the island with calmer waters with more oyster beds. But they had come down the river a few times because that was where the women went to wash clothes and gather drinking water.

The girl had watched the men. Most went straight through the Ten Tiny Boars and up to the cleft. A few had tried it from the other way because the current from the river mouth would hold them would carry them straight through the two round rocks rather than fighting it for the short distance in the other direction and their timing was off. More often than not that meant they overshot the oyster entirely and wasted their energy before they could get there or scared the oyster shut in their hurry.

The girl felt her heart beat as she approached, glancing over her shoulder to see the princess watching her intently. Her knees shook under that calm cool gaze and she turned to the path at hand. First she knelt by the mouth of the river and ran her hands over the edge, feeling it out as the cool waters mixed with the warmth of the sea. She slipped into the mouth, letting the feel of it wash over her and send goosebumps over her whole body. She cried out as the wetness kissed her and she sank into it, keeping a strong grip.

She luxuriated in the feel for a while, getting a sense for it before finally letting go enough to slide away, digging her hands in to slow her descent until the water got too deep. Eventually having to let go and be carried away she flowed with the path of the water until she reached the two curved stones. But rather than letting the current sweep her away towards the cleft where the oyster lay, instead she aimed for the rocks and grabbed onto one. There she held on tight, pressing her face against it, breathing long and deep so that she could feel her own breath bouncing back against the smooth hard curve of it. Then when she was ready she let the rock go and dove, letting the current carry her along to the bottom.

When she arrived at the oyster she did not reach for it, instead grabbing for the sea grass that gave the Bearded Oyster its name. The grass had sunk deep into the sand and rock and held fast as she tugged on it and to her joy there it was, the huge oyster. It was cracked open just a bit, the fleshy folded pink of the mollusk in the shell pulsing wetly in the water. The grass tickling her body as she peered inside and got her first close look at the pink pearl that had haunted her dreams.

She was not close to done. Gently reaching out she touched the shell. It was no wonder the men had not been able to open it very far with one hand. It was wedged into its cleft so that unless it was lifted out it would not open more than a little of the way needed to see inside. Plus as her hand moved over the shell she felt that it was quite as slick as the rocks around it, her fingers sliding over it with ease.

Leaning in the girl blew softly into the shell, water and bubbles tickling the oyster and the shell opened a bit more. The oyster opened wider and she could see the pearl under the meat of it, like a face peeking out of a hood. It was so close she reached out and touched it, but when she did the shell started to close a little, the muscles shaking with nervous energy and she pulled back before it could close on her fingers.

Letting go of the grass she fell into the current again and aimed for the Ten Tiny Boars. When she reached one she rose up out of the water and kissed it, using it to steady herself while she caught her breath. Absently she played her hands between the rocks while she thought. Up on the cliff the watching princess was impressed with how long the girl had held her breath and her way with the oyster. Most of the men had tried to force it, diving right in with hands and spears to try to pull the pearl out. The way the girl had done it, the oyster had almost climbed out of its shell itself and presented the pearl to her. From where she sat she could still see it moving in the water, the pearl proudly presented.

So could the girl, though it was now just a pink blur under the water from where she was. She managed to get enough air, but it was hard going and she could use more. She knew if she waited too long the oyster would close again making it that much harder. Unlike the oysters that were used to being harvested of their pearls this one had only been prodded at and was not used to being touched. The wrong move and it would flee and with the men fumbling around with it and jamming the shafts of their spears at the opening, the thing was probably shy of being touched at all now. She had to try to finish this quickly, but make sure that it felt safe and comfortable.

Swimming forward she went down, following the path up to the cleft and the open oyster, her eyes on the pearl as if it were her whole world. She noticed a smaller opening under the oyster as she swam. When she arrived she gripped the sea grass above it with one and then slipped the other inside the small tight hole hoping nothing dangerous resided inside. It was a tight fit and only three of her fingers would go in no matter how hard she pushed. She could feel the bottom of the oyster and pushed up against it, lifting it a little further out of the cleft until it spread wider than it ever had before, right in front of her face. The pearl, the size of man's eye, jutted out an inch in front her nose.

With both her hands full and the current pushing against her face, how was she to get the pearl? She could not get another grip without sliding free and letting it all fall apart. Then she remembered all of the secrets the old women had taught her and realized what to do. Carefully she opened her mouth and moved her head forward until it was inside the shell. All she could see was pulsing pink flesh. Her lips touched the pearl and carefully she wrapped them around it, making sure not to scratch the flesh with her teeth. One false move and the thing would close on her face. She breathed out a bit through her nose, ticking the Bearded Oyster with a few more bubbles and it flexed, pushing the pearl into her mouth. Slowly she slid her tongue under it and lifted it away.

As her mouth encompassed it the oyster squirted a small spray of warm seawater into her face, as mollusks are want to do. She jerked back, caught off guard by the warm explosion, just as the shell slammed shut. Then being lifted up by her hand and finally freed from the confines of the cleft it was caught in the current and washed away, disappearing into the sea. The girl followed, no longer able to keep her grip in the rushing water, all the strength ebbing out of her now that she had done what she needed to do.

A few moments later she dragged herself onto a nearby beach. The princess had seen everything and followed her and even though she was dripping wet, ran to meet her suitor in a tight embrace. "You did it!"

Spitting the pearl into her fingers and licking the salt water from her lips the girl smirked. "I believe this is yours."

The princess told her, "Keep it, it's yours." She looked at the large pink orb and added, "I am certain you will think of something to do with it."

"A few things come to mind," the girl said. and she looked into the eyes of the princess. Then she lowered her wet salty lips and kissed her bride.

When the islanders arrived and found that the girl had claimed the princess's pearl there was much rejoicing. The chief rose from his bed and they were wed in a magnificent ceremony. The girl was declared the new chief and much to the enjoyment of all, proceeded to teach a full third of the island women the proper way to handle oysters, starting with her princess. Soon their prowess in diving for pearls was such that they became a very prosperous island indeed with happy citizens and much rejoicing even if a lot of the men did resent that so many of the women no longer needed them.


End file.
